Fanfair

Hot Tracks: Adam Levine

‘I always wanted my songs on the radio,” says Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine. “I wanted them to woo the world.” For the past 10 years, Maroon 5 have heard their catchy hits (“Sunday Morning,” “One More Night,” “Moves Like Jagger”) on the radio. But the band’s sexy videos and tabloid coverage of Levine’s romances threatened to peg him as a rock-star cliché. Now, moonlighting as a judge on the TV talent-competition show The Voice, Levine has been able to reveal both his personality and his passionate knowledge of music. The L.A. native’s résumé also includes acting: he’s been on American Horror Story and co-stars with Keira Knightley in the forthcoming movie Can a Song Save Your Life? As Maroon 5 start a U.S. tour this month, Levine talks to Lisa Robinson about music and fame.

__Lisa Robinson: Do you agree that The Voice changed people’s perceptions of you?

Adam Levine: I thought The Voice was a great opportunity for me to repair any kind of character damage I’ve done in the past. I can actually speak, rather than be judged on just silly gossip, or someone not liking one of our songs—[neither of which] I think is a fair barometer for judging someone’s character.
L.R.: You were considered by some people to be a sort of cheesy “modelizer.”

A.L.: There are worse things in this world than to be considered what I was considered. I think people in the limelight—for lack of a better word—are scared of their own shadows. Especially with all the social media and things that bring a lot of attention to someone’s personal life. People worry more about what they should or shouldn’t be doing, and less about who they are and embracing that.
L.R.: Did you always want to be in a band?

A.L.: It just was something I loved so much that I wanted to do. I’d been thinking about that since I was 12, and that passion hasn’t gone anywhere.
L.R.: Who were your musical inspirations?

A.L.: I grew up on my parents’ music—the Beatles, Fleetwood Mac, and the Who. I was a kind of angsty teenager and had a very rebellious attitude. I loved the “screw you” principles of bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana. When I got a little older, I got into Bob Marley, Bill Withers, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye. That was a huge deal, because it taught me as a vocalist where I could go.
L.R.:How many of your young fans even knew who you were singing about in “Moves Like Jagger”?

A.L.: An alarmingly small percentage. But in a weird way, it felt like we were kind of bringing news to a generation who didn’t know.
L.R.: You’ve worked with a wide range of other musicians, from Kanye West to Lady Antebellum.

A.L.: That is a very rarefied airspace to be in. The diversity in people’s tastes now is so much cooler. Everyone is saying MP3s and the Internet have ruined the music business—and it’s sad there are no record stores—but music is just so present now in the culture. More than it’s ever been. That’s a result of the [technological] advancements we’ve made. I’m such a huge fan of where music is right now.
L.R.: Do you ever want to settle down, have a family?

A.L.: Absolutely. Not yet, but yeah.
L.R.: Have you experienced a lot of heartbreak?

A.L.: Yes. Going through having your heart broken is something that I dread more than anything. But it’s a huge part of being whole as a human being.
L.R.: Do you think you’ll ever regret the decision to have all those tattoos? Supposedly, you can’t be buried in a Jewish cemetery …

A.L.:__ It’s funny, people say two things: they say I can’t be buried in a Jewish cemetery, and I think, so cremate me. It’s not going to matter to me, I’m dead. The other thing people say is I’m not going to want to be an old man with tattoos. And I’m like, yeah, I do. I think it’s fuckin’ badass.

Lisa RobinsonPrior to joining Vanity Fair in 1999, contributing editor LISA ROBINSON was a longtime music columnist for the New York Post, The New York Times Syndicate, the host of syndicated radio and cable TV shows, and edited several rock magazines.